Reviews are pouring in for Google 's new Nexus 4 smartphone, and so far they’re mostly positive. The $199 phone with a two-year wireless contract is well-built and packs Google’s newest Android operating system.

Except for one small footnote — no access to LTE, the latest generation of wireless technology.

That’s a rather big footnote.

LTE technology will basically enable phones to download information faster, opening up the Web to having larger pages with richer content and data. It’s become standard in many of the top modern smartphones, like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Google probably has good reasons for not including LTE in its newest flagship Android smartphone, but it sticks out like a sore thumb, according to reviews across the Web.

Here’s how the phone fared among reviewers:

Performance

The biggest perk of Google’s Nexus program is that these phones have access to the latest version of Google’s Android mobile operating system. But this time around, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.

WSJ”s Walt Mossberg writes: ”I found the Nexus 4 more evolutionary than revolutionary. It has some nice features and carries on Google’s recent tablet tradition of low pricing. But there’s no knock-your-socks-off stuff in the new phone. Even the new version of Android is just a further iteration of the current variant, called Jelly Bean, rather than an all-new edition, such as Google introduced last year at this time with the prior Nexus phone.”

In terms of performance, though, the Nexus 4 is top-notch. “I couldn’t find a single stutter or hiccup during my week with the phone,” Nathan Olivarez-Giles of Wired writes. ”Even graphically intensive apps like Google Earth, or fast-paced games like Nova 3 loaded quickly and ran smoothly. This can be attributed to Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, Adreno 320 graphics processor, and 2GB of RAM.”

Storage

Unlike some of the other smartphones on the market, the Nexus 4′s storage is somewhat limited. It caps at 16 gigabytes of storage — which is fine if you mostly use streaming services and don’t store a lot of files or apps locally. Otherwise, you can start running out of space quickly.

Mossberg said this is an “important feature” missing on the phone, noting that memory capacity greater than 16 gigabytes was “the amount most smartphones start with.”

Design and Build

Reviewers write that the phone is well-built, but seems uninspired, given that Google hasn’t strayed far from the design of the Galaxy Nexus. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, given that the iPhone has followed a similar, evolutionary strategy.

Olivarez-Giles writes: “The first thing you notice when you pick up the handset is just how sturdy and luxurious it feels. The front and back of the device are coated in Gorilla Glass 2. I took a set of keys, a fork and a pocket knife to the front and back glass panels of the Nexus 4 and couldn’t get a scratch to show up anywhere. I also slipped and dropped the phone while pulling it out of my pocket this week, and it showed no signs of my fumble.”

“Overall, the design is nothing we all haven’t seen before,” Lynn La at CNET writes. “Yes, the Nexus 4 does look and feel like a premium handset, but it’s uninspiring. It measures about the same as most big, 4.7-inch phones (5.27 inches by 2.7 inches by 0.36 inch), so it’ll be a tight squeeze in small jean pockets. It’s a wide fit in the hand but is comfortable to hold, and while it’s only 0.1 ounce heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S3, it feels noticeably denser and sturdier.”

Battery

This is another bright spot for the Nexus 4. The Verge’s Josh Topolsky writes: “At the time of this writing, I’ve had it off of its charger for 10 hours and 30 minutes and it’s still got 45 percent battery life. Yesterday before I plugged it in, I’d had it off the charger for 16 hours, with 18 percent of its juice left. To say it’s holding up for full work days would be an understatement; even with heavy use, this battery more than pulls its weight.”

There’s a pretty constant theme here — this phone, save for one component, is actually a well-built phone with enviable features. But now, on to that major complaint…

Network

This is the phone’s Achilles’ Heel. In theory, the network speed of the Nexus 4 shouldn’t be much of an issue for many smartphone owners, but in practice it appears to be.

For example, Mossberg writes, “This network standard can be as fast or faster than LTE in places, but in my tests comparing the Nexus 4 on HSPA+ with an iPhone 5 using LTE, the differences were often stark. In one location, the two were about the same, at just under 15 megabits per second for downloads. But in two others, in two cities, the Nexus 4 on HSPA+ managed average download speeds of just 2.8 mbps and 3.8 mbps, while the iPhone 5 on LTE averaged nearly 30 mbps.”

Steve Kovach at Business Insider writes, “There’s no polite way to say this: Google screwed up here. Instead of working with carriers and making a phone that best serves its customers, Google took the easy way out and skipped LTE in the Nexus 4 so it could sell it unlocked from its own website.”

It’s not all bad, though, for a number of potential users: “On the other hand, things may not be so bad if you’re a T-Mobile customer. I tested the Nexus 4 on T-Mobile’s 4G network in New York, and the speeds were in line with what I’ve seen using LTE on AT&T and Verizon,” Kovach writes.

Topolsky writes, “I mentioned that the Nexus 4 will not ship with LTE radios, and it would be negligent of me to not say how big of a difference this will make if you live in an area where HSPA service is not operating at peak levels. Since I happen to be an AT&T user in exactly that situation, I know exactly how it feels. Slow. It feels slow.”

The final verdict:

Walt Mossberg, WSJ: “Overall, the Nexus 4 is a good phone, with especially good prices for unlocked versions. But I’d advise Android buyers to consider other models with LTE, better speakers, and the ability to add more memory and work on all carriers.”

Steve Kovach, Business Insider: “If you’re a T-Mobile customer, the Nexus 4 is probably the best phone you can buy on the carrier at the moment. It’s that simple. Everyone else will have to consider the unlocked version, which will only run on GSM networks like AT&T. But the lack of LTE support really puts a damper on an otherwise incredible device. If you think you can live without the fastest possible data speeds, then the Nexus 4 is a great deal at $299. Otherwise, you’re going to be really annoyed paying for a phone that can’t keep up with the competition.”

Josh Topolsky, The Verge: “If you buy the Nexus 4, you have to decide whether you’re willing to compromise data speeds for the purest and best form of the Android OS. After comparing the options and seeing the gulf between Google’s flagship and other devices on the market, I’ve decided it’s a compromise I won’t be making again.”

Brad Molen, Engadget: “Sure, the Nexus 4 is not without its hiccups, but none of its predecessors have been perfect, either. And given the boost in real-world performance, the better camera and various other new features, it’s even more tempting than all those previous devices whose shoes it’s trying to fill. In a case like this… you have our permission not to resist.”

Nathan Olivarez-Giles, Wired: “Thoughtfully designed hardware displays a quality of finish that can compete with the best rival smartphones. Big 4.7-inch screen is crisp, detailed and beautiful. Quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM gives it power to spare. NFC and wireless charging show Google pushing new platforms forward. Bargain pricing for and unlocked beast of a phone. Latest Android, directly from Google, with no delays from carriers or hardware makers. No LTE connectivity means the Nexus 4 is confined to slower, older mobile networks. No micro SD card slot or expandable storage of any sort. The rear speaker isn’t very loud and doesn’t sound very good.”